US 6,785,659 B1 · Agent-based technique for implementing browser-initiated user-transparent interstitial web advertising in a client computer

Abstract

A technique for implementing in a networked client-server environment, e.g., the Internet, network-distributed advertising in which advertisements are downloaded, from an advertising server to a browser executing at a client computer, in a manner transparent to a user situated at the browser, and subsequently displayed, by that browser on an interstitial basis, in response to a click-stream generated by the user to move from one web page to the next. Specifically, an HTML advertising tag is embedded into a referring web page. This tag contains two components. One component effectively downloads, from an distribution web server and to an extent necessary, and then persistently instantiates an agent at the client browser. This agent “politely” and transparently downloads advertising files (media and where necessary player files), originating from an ad management system residing on a third-party advertising web server, for a given advertisement into browser cache and subsequently plays those media files through the browser on an interstitial basis and in response to a user click-stream. The other component is a reference, in terms of a web address, of the advertising management system. This latter reference totally “decouples” advertising content from a web page such that a web page, rather than embedding actual advertising content within the page itself, merely includes an advertising tag that refers, via a URL, to a specific ad management system rather than to a particular advertisement or its content. The ad management system selects the given advertisement that is to be downloaded, rather than having that selection or its content being embedded in the web content page.

Claims106

Dependent claims

Apparatus for rendering an information object in response to a first web page, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;
a memory connected to the processor and storing computer executable instructions, the instructions representing page content and embedded code, the first web page being stored in the memory and containing both the page content and the embedded code;
and
an output device responsive to the processor;
wherein the processor, in response to the computer executable instructions, downloads, as a result of executing the embedded code during processing the instructions on the page, an agent from a first server, and then executes the agent, such that the processor, through the agent:
downloads to the memory, and while the first web page is being rendered on the output device, both a manifest file associated with the information object from a second server into the memory and at least one additional file as specified in the manifest file from a corresponding file server, wherein the manifest file specifies at least one predefined informational file that comprises part of the information object, a network address at which the one informational file can be accessed and associated configuration information necessary to properly render the information object;
detects a user-initiated event for initiating a transition from the first web page to a second web page and which signifies a start of an interstitial interval;
and
in response to an occurrence of the event:
ceases downloading of a further file specified in the manifest file, to the extent any downloading of the further file is then occurring;
and
processes files for an information object that has been previously downloaded and is currently ready to be rendered so as to render the previously downloaded information object during the interstitial interval to the user.

9 more elements

In a computer having a processor, a memory connected to the processor and storing computer executable instructions, the instructions representing page content and embedded code, a first web page being stored in the memory and containing both the page content and the embedded code, and an output device responsive to the processor, a method for rendering an information object in response to the first web page comprising the steps of:

downloading, as a result of executing the embedded code during processing of the instructions on the first web page, an agent from a first server, and then executing the agent, such that the processor, and through the agent:
downloading to the memory, and while the first web page is being rendered on the output device, both a manifest file associated with the information object from a second server into the memory and at least one additional file as specified in the manifest file from a corresponding file server, wherein the manifest file specifies at least one predefined informational file that comprises part of the information object, a network address at which the one informational file can be accessed and associated configuration information necessary to properly render the information object;
detecting a user-initiated event for initiating a transition from the first web page to a second web page and which signifies a start of an interstitial interval;
and
in response to an occurrence of the event:
ceasing downloading of a further file specified in the manifest file, to the extent any downloading of the further file is then occurring;
and
processing files for an information object that has been previously downloaded and is currently ready to be rendered so as to render the previously downloaded information object during the interstitial interval to the user.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Agent-based technique for implementing browser-initiated user-transparent interstitial web advertising in a client computer

Life of this patent

Agent-based technique for implementing browser-initiated user-transparent interstitial web advertising in a client computer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims106